December 25, 2005

Jump Pages in Googlebase

Received an email alert from Classified Intelligence this weekend. Looks like GoogleBase is now delivering their users to jump pages from the results page instead of to the listing on the source site. This Google hosted/created jump page displays all the attribute information and it's striking how much thislooks like a listing.

It will be interesting to see how this is received by the folks that provide GoogleBase with a feed. Oodle and other vertical search engines (SimplyHired, Indeed) made an explicit decision not to do this. We follow traditional search engine etiquette and send traffic directly to the listing from the results page.

This isn't the first time Google has pushed the envelope. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was surprised when they decided both to point off to third-party listings and take their own (putting them in competition with their listings partners).

Comments

For starters, a change of this magnitude should have been preceded by some communication from Google. There was, to my knowledge, no advance warning.

What had been rank amateurism on Google's part in handling feeds has now degenerated into destructive slop, especially with the mischaracterization of contact names that will be routing inquiries to feed providers rather than to their advertisers.

It appears that these guys have a fluid and self-serving definition of their "do no evil" motto.

Pushing the envelope is an under estimate here, more like re writting the rules of the game. Imagine that they are using the same principal that they adopted with the Ad agencies in the UK when they unilaterally changed the commission structure - we are google, you need us more than we need you and you can lump it...sounds like a monopoly !

I think the real issue here is that the addition of jump pages mean that the reader can now move directly from google base to the person who placed a classifed ad rather than go via the site that feeds google base.

So google have placed themselves firmly between the advertiser and the advertising companies who feed google base.

If I were Careerbuilder (or any other advertising site that feeds google base) I would be extremely concerned - How long will it take for Careerbuilder's clients to realise that their applicants are coming direct from google base rather than careerbuilder?

From there its a short step to 'why pay to be placed in Careerbuilder?'

I think that even if they go back now, they will push and try again at a later stage. We will probably see the jump pages again in 6 months time?

I actually believe that it is a better user experience to navigate Google Base with the jump pages included. Its faster and easier!

Craig, what makes you think that Craigslist will not start accepting feed and include them with jump pages within their listings? We are doing that in our listings website and no feed supplier has complained.